Donald Trump started off strong at the Al Smith Dinner on Thursday night in New York City, cracking jokes about modesty being "perhaps my best quality," but he was eventually booed by the audience after saying his opponent, Hillary Clinton, was in "public tonight pretending not to hate Catholics."
The annual event is a fundraiser for Catholic charities, raising money for needy children. It's held in honor of Al Smith, a New York governor and the first Catholic presidential nominee, and hosted by the Catholic archbishop of New York. Trump spoke before Clinton, and he immediately began ribbing his opponent: "It's great to be here with 1,000 wonderful people, or as I call it, a small, intimate dinner with some friends. Or as Hillary calls it, her largest crowd of the season." Clinton laughed, and Trump added, "Ah, this is corny stuff."
Trump got some groans when he compared himself to Jesus, saying: "I do recognize that I come into this event with a little bit of an advantage. I know that so many of you in the archdiocese already have a place in your heart for a guy who started out as a carpenter working for his father. I was a carpenter working for my father. True, not for a long period of time, about three weeks." The laughs were harder, even from Clinton, when Trump said, "Hillary bumped into me and said, 'Pardon me.' And I said, 'Let me talk to you about that after I get in office.'"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
His bit took a sharp turn when he said Clinton was "deceiving" people by having a public and a private view on the same matter, and the audience began to boo. Things got downright hostile when he called Clinton "corrupt" and said she was in "public tonight, pretending not to hate Catholics." Watch the video below, and get ready to cringe. Catherine Garcia
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
